


Percy Jackson and the Soul Society: The Weight of Betrayal

by EzrasHargrave



Category: Bleach, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Action, Adventure, Eventual Romance, F/M, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-07
Updated: 2020-01-07
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:08:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22164607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EzrasHargrave/pseuds/EzrasHargrave
Summary: After the Giant War, Percy thought he could finally settle down with Annabeth and start a family. Instead, due to the meddling of Eros, Percy is heartbroken and wants to escape. That was when he heard about his cousins that lived in Japan, and he goes to stay with them… And in turn, learns there's more to the supernatural than he'd ever dreamed.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 27





	1. 0: The Tricks of Eros

“Why…?” He couldn’t help but ask at the sight as tears flowed down his cheeks and staring at the face of Annabeth Chase.

She did everything in her power to look everywhere but at him, guilt surging through her body as she realised exactly what it was she’d done to him. She knew that if she looked at him she would also start crying.

Connor Stoll, who was next to Annabeth in the bed, also looked incredibly guilty as he stared at his lap, saying nothing at all.

Percy closed his eyes tightly. “… I hope you’re both happy with each other,” he croaked out, forcing a smile onto his lips that looked as if it was made of glass, opening his eyes as he looked at the pair of naked demigods, only hidden by the sheets. “I hope you both live a long and happy life together and… And never give up on the other…”

“Percy…!” Annabeth tried, but Percy turned and ran out, not wanting to hear so much as a word from her lips.

How did all of this happen, one may ask?

The day before, while Percy was visiting his mother and step-father, Eros was getting bored and that was never a good thing. Him getting bored often resulted in horrible things happening, such as Poseidon and Medusa.

The God of Love began to scroll through the images of various mortals and demigods, looking for a love life to make intriguing, or to ruin. He wanted a good story to tell in a few hundred years or so, he’d run out of good ones long ago… And that was when he happened upon Annabeth Chase’s image.

Madly in love with Percy Jackson, but still held lingering feelings for the deceased Son of Hermes. The God’s eyes lit up in excitement… If he, Eros, could ruin the love life of Percy Jackson… What a story that would be to tell. How he ruined the love life of the greatest Demigod to have ever lived! It would be a story for the ages, one he could tell over and over again, and never get tired of!

So, the next day, when Percy Jackson was due to return he’d shot an arrow into Annabeth Chase and into Connor Stoll, the closest of the Stoll brothers at the time, and then grinned to himself as he watched the show.

Percy returned to camp feeling incredibly happy. He’d been to visit his mother, step-father, having been told his mother was pregnant by them. He was excited to be a big brother, a feeling of joy filling him he hadn’t known before and had immediately rushed to the Athena Cabin to tell Annabeth the news.

He’d been told by Malcolm that she was in her office in the big house, and so Percy headed there to see her and tell her all about his time with his family… Only to freeze at the sight of Connor and Annabeth together in the bed, sheets covering them.

He didn’t need to see under them to know what they’d been doing, the room stunk of their session.

All joy Percy had felt, at that moment, was sucked out of him as he felt a cold void settle inside of him. But even then… He wasn’t angry. He wasn’t mad. He was just sad, heartbroken, that this had happened.

So, he’d forced down how he really felt and smiled through the tears, wishing them a happy life, before he’d quickly left and headed to his Cabin to grab his things, leaving Camp within ten minutes and getting a ride back home.

The door opened, and Sally blinked in surprise. “Percy? I thought you were going back to camp…” She trailed off as she saw Percy’s eyes. Bright red, as if he’d been crying. “Paul!” She called out. “Can you go make a pot of hot chocolate? I think we’ll need it!”

Sally ushered Percy into the house and led him to the main area, sitting on the couch and hugging him as Percy sniffled and sobbed into her. She whispered comforting things, and Paul came out awhile later, setting the pot of Hot Chocolate and 3 mugs on the table.

When Percy finally calmed down enough, he stared blankly at his mug of hot chocolate, while Sally continued to rub his back. “What happened, Percy?” She asked softly.

“I…” He swallowed down another burst of sadness that wanted to swell up just from remembering what he’d walked in on. “I… I came back to Camp… A- And I wanted to tell Annabeth that you were P-Pregnant. S- So I asked her brother where she was… A- And he told me her office. I checked, and she was… She was…” He covered his face. “… She was in bed with someone else… Only covered by sheets and covered in sweat. A- And the room… It _smelt_ mom. I could _smell_ what they’d been doing.”

Sally covered her mouth, and Paul grimaced. “But why would she do that?” Sally asked, frowning. “You jumped into Tartarus for her, for goodness sake! What on Earth could compel her to cheating on you like that?”

“I don’t know,” he said miserably. “More importantly, I don’t know what I’m going to do now. All… All of my future plans included Annabeth. All of them. What am I supposed to do…? Where is my life supposed to go now?”

Paul and Sally exchanged looks, uncertain, before Sally got an idea. “We have cousins…” She said slowly, making Percy look at her. “Very distant cousins, that live in Japan. I know you must be exhausted with the Greek World and fighting… If you go to Japan, you should be safe.”

“But… What about you guys?” Percy asked. Japan sounded like a good place to get away, but he didn’t want to leave his family behind.

“We’ll come visit you,” Paul said. “Of course, I am a teacher, so I don’t get that much free time, but we’ll do our best to visit you during the Summer Holidays and the like. And there’s always those Iris Message things that you can do.”

Percy took a deep breath as he considered that… Maybe it was childish and stupid of him to run away over this… But he’d done so much for Olympus, for Annabeth, for the camp. Didn’t he deserve a break? He thought so…

“I-I want to talk to Poseidon first,” he said. “Sorry, can I… Can I have a moment to Iris Message him?”

“Of course,” Sally nodded, taking Paul’s hand and leading him out, as Percy headed to the kitchen, using the water from the sink to make a quick rainbow in the light.

After throwing in a Drachma and saying what he wanted, he was greeted with the sight of his father, relaxing on a beach. “Dad?”

Poseidon looked up with surprise. “Percy? This is rare, why have you Iris Messaged me?”

“I…” Percy gulped, and explained everything to Poseidon that he’d explained to his mother, and then the idea of moving to Japan his mother had proposed. “But I didn’t want to make a choice without talking to you first so… What do I do?”

His father looked shocked that Annabeth cheated on him, then angry, before sighing as he listened to the rest of Percy’s story. He wanted to curse the Owl Spawn, but knew Percy wouldn’t ask him to do that, and he was honestly reluctant to do the same. “… I think it would be good for you,” he said. “To get away from it all… But Percy, you can’t even speak or read Japanese, can you?”

“Well um…” Percy gulped… He hadn’t considered that.

Poseidon laughed lightly. “Not to worry. I may not be as good at blessing people with knowledge like Athena, but I can do this…” He spoke in Greek, and Percy only caught bits and pieces of it.

Suddenly, Percy’s body glowed green momentarily, and he looked down, then looked up. “What did you do, dad?”

_“Hm? Why do you think I did anything?”_ Poseidon asked him, but something seemed different about his voice, something Percy couldn’t quite put his finger on.

_“Come on, you just mentioned something about a blessing, and I…”_ Percy trailed off as he noticed his voice sounded different to, before it suddenly dawned on him that he and his father spoke in perfect Japanese. “Did you just teach me Japanese?” Percy asked in shock, making a conscious effort to speak English.

“Yes,” his father laughed lightly. “You can speak and read Japanese without the burden of Dyslexia. I couldn’t do much for your English, so you’ll have to work hard on fixing that, but you won’t be burdened by Dyslexia when reading Japanese.”

“… Thank you,” Percy said sincerely. “I… I’ll miss you, dad. I’ll try and I-M you when I can or talk to you in a Demigod dream.”

“I’ll miss you too,” Poseidon nodded. “And remember… No matter what anyone says, no matter what they do, never forget. You are my most treasured Demigod son, and a true child of the Sea God.”

Percy swallowed and nodded, the pair waving to each other, before he swiped his hand through the rainbow, ending the call.

When he saw his mother again, he looked up at her and tried for a smile. “Would you mind calling our relatives in Japan? I’ve decided I’m going to go and stay with them.”

**~~The Weight of Betrayal~~**

Sally got a positive response from her relatives, whom Percy found out were known as the ‘Kurosaki’s.’ He learned a bit more about them from his mother as he prepared himself for his trip.

They were a family of three. The father, Isshin Kurosaki, and two daughters in Karin and Yuzu. Masaki, who was the distant cousin his mother mentioned, passed away with the son of the family several years before.

But then arose the issue of _how_ he’d get to Japan. At first, he’d been worried about flying, but his father made an agreement with Zeus that Percy wouldn’t get blasted out of the sky when flying to and from Japan, so that was good, though he knew it would be a bumpy ride the whole way.

There was also the issue that Annabeth had tried to come around several times, but Percy hadn’t wanted to see her. Sally was very kind, but stern, with Annabeth whenever she came around. He felt bad since his mother lied every time Annabeth came by, saying Percy had said he was going to visit the Roman’s, or another lie like that.

Finally, came the day that Percy was going to be heading to Japan, standing at the entrance to security. “Well… This is goodbye for now,” Percy said as his mother, his step-father, and even Poseidon, all came to see him off. “I’m sorry to put this on all of you, but I…”

“We know, Percy,” Sally smiled. “We’ll come to visit as much as possible… But you’d better come when my due date gets near, am I understood young man?”

“Yeah, I understand,” Percy smiled, before his gaze shifted to Paul. “I know it goes without saying but take care of mom for me. I know she doesn’t need protection but…”

“Say no more,” Paul smiled at him, patting his shoulder. “Your mother is in safe hands, I’ll make sure to update you regularly on what’s happening, so you just enjoy your break from all this crazy stuff, alright Percy?”

Percy gave a firm nod, and then his gaze shifted to Poseidon. “… Dad…” He said softly, before blinking in surprise as he found himself enveloped in a tight hug.

“I’m going to miss you Percy,” Poseidon said softly. “I’m so sorry for everything that being born to me did to you… But I am so proud of the man you have become, and I’m so proud that you are forging your own path and not letting the past weigh you down.”

“… Never be sorry for what’s happened,” Percy said, looking up. “I’m _glad_ I was born your son. The life I’ve lived, the people I’ve met… It all happened because I was born your son. I’ve met so many people who have become dear to me. It never would have happened if you hadn’t been my father… I’m _proud_ to be the Son of Poseidon, I’m proud to be your Son. And I’m happy that I have such a wonderful family…”

That made their faces light up, and he gave them all a round of quick hugs. “I’ll send you a message once I’m settled in with the Kurosaki’s,” he said, smiling. “Goodbye… I’ll miss you all.”

With that said, Percy made his way through security, only glancing back once to smile at them, before he turned away and his gaze become resolute.

The flight, as expected, was full of turbulence and Percy flinched with every bout of it he hit. But he did manage to get a few hours of sleep on the flight, it was a _very_ long flight.

He was relieved to climb off the plane, collecting his luggage, and made his way into the main lobby. He glanced around, before he spotted a man with black hair and a goatee, holding a sign that said ‘Percy Jackson’ on it in English letters.

He made his way over, taking a deep breath. “Are you Kurosaki Isshin?” He asked, having studied up on Japanese customs to make sure he didn’t say things incorrectly, and learned that they often said the last name before the first.

“Indeed, I am,” Isshin nodded, looking mildly surprised that Percy spoke Japanese so well. “You speak very fluently for someone who grew up in the states.”

“I practised a lot,” he said modestly, though it was a lie. “I still have a long way to go… Um, sorry, I should introduce myself,” he bowed politely, as he read was custom. “My name is Jackson Perseus, Masaki-san’s distant cousin on my mother’s side. Please, just call me Percy.”

“Perseus?” Isshin looked intrigued. “Like the Greek Hero?”

Percy gave a wry smile at that. “My mother named me after him since he was the only Hero who got a happy ending. She was hoping I’d get a happy ending too.”

“I see,” Isshin nodded. “Well, please follow me to the car,” he said, and Percy nodded.

The two of them chatted a little on the way home, and he got to learn a bit about Yuzu and Karin’s personalities in a bit more depth. Karin was, in Isshin’s words, entering her ‘rebellious phase’ where she gave him the cold shoulder. While Yuzu was a little angel who did her best to keep both happy and was an amazing cook.

When he asked if Yuzu was able to make blue food, Isshin just gave him a bit of a weird look, and Percy looked embarrassed before explaining it was an inside joke between he and his mother from his childhood.

Soon enough, the car pulled up outside a house, though Percy noticed something and asked about it. “Ah, I also run a clinic,” Isshin explained. “Big hospitals can’t take everybody, and injuries seen as ‘minor’ can take a long time to be dealt with, which can result in them becoming major injuries before long. I run the clinic to help deal with minor injuries and sicknesses, though I’m also equipped to deal with major ones if it is needed.”

“Do you think you could teach me a little?” Percy asked, making Isshin look at him in surprise. “I had a… Well, I guess you can say troubled past that led me to getting in a few fights. It would be nice knowing how to deal with injuries on the fly.”

Isshin stared at him, probably wondering if he was some kind of delinquent, before he smiled and nodded. “I can teach you some basic first aid. It’s always a good skill to have ready, you never know when you might need it. Now!” He clapped his hands together, opening up the door as he ran inside. “Daddy’s home!!”

“Shut up old man,” a female voice came from inside as Percy looked bewildered as he stepped inside, seeing a young girl with black hair holding Isshin in a Boston Crab submission hold, like you’d see on TV. She looked over and noticed Percy, “Huh, who’s this?”

“Ah, sorry,” Percy bowed. “My name is Jackson Percy, I’m a distant cousin on your mother’s side. I’ve come to stay in Japan with you… Erm, please pardon my intrusion.”

“Oh, it’s so nice to meet another relative!” Another girl said, and Percy looked over to see a girl with blonde hair hurrying over, grabbing Percy’s hands. “It’s nice to meet you, Jackson-san! I’m Kurosaki Yuzu, and that,” she gestured to her sister who tightened the hold on her father. “Is Kurosaki Karin, my older twin!”

“Twin…?” He looked confused, before it dawned. “Oh, fraternal twins. That’s cool, it’s nice that you two don’t look the same, it means you don’t get confused.”

“Yep!” Yuzu grinned. “I’ll show you to your new room! Come on!”

“Um… Is it okay to leave them like that?” Percy asked with mild concern.

“Oh, don’t worry, that’s normal!” Yuzu chirped and began to head upstairs.

_‘In what world is that normal…?’_ Percy thought incredulously, before he lifted up his luggage and followed Yuzu upstairs, leaving Karin to discipline her father.

“And this, is your room!” Yuzu said, opening the door. It was barren, as expected, but it was still a good size. It had a desk for him to work, a nice big closet to keep his clothes in, and the bed looked very comfy. “Feel free to unpack! Oh, and dad is going to have you enrolled in the local High School.”

“Please mention to him I need to be held back a year,” he told Yuzu. “I had an incident where I was… Uh… Indisposed for a year, so I need to get that year of education back.”

Yuzu nodded. “No problem! Lunch is at about One, so feel free to relax until them! Oh, and welcome to the family!” She gave him a quick hug, before heading downstairs.

Percy gave a small smile and looked around the room, before he slowly started to unpack. He hadn’t most of the spoils of war he’d collected, opting to leave the majority of them back in Camp Half-Blood, so it was just his clothes and a few other things he’d brought along. Like ambrosia and nectar, the wristwatch shield Tyson had made him- which had been repaired- and, of course, Riptide.

It didn’t take him all too long to unpack, and he took a seat on the bed and looked around. It was normal… Almost unnaturally normal in a way, but he was safe here. No monsters, no gods, no demigods, just him, his distant cousins, and this town called Karakura.

Best of all, since he was safe from monsters, he could finally start using technology safely! With that in mind he took out a laptop, based on Daedalus’ own that they’d acquired, and began to write a quick message to his mother to tell her that he’d landed safely.

“I have a feeling I’m going to like it here,” Percy said with a smile as he typed away, looking forwards to the normal life and adventures he’d be living in this small town.


	2. I: Death and DEstroyer

It had been several weeks since Percy’s arrival in Japan, and he found himself very much enjoying his stay.

Isshin was a bit weird, with how he worshipped the poster of his deceased wife, and did attack him randomly, but Percy found it helped with his reflexes. Plus, as he promised, Isshin taught Percy some basic first aid. He was sure that, being a Demigod, the first aid was going to be a great help to him in the future.

Karin was a bit hard for Percy to get along with at first, but they’d managed to find common ground once she’d realised how physically fit Percy was. The pair began to work out together, going on jogs around town on the weekends, and bonding over a few things. Mostly on the fastest ways to subdue Isshin when he got a bit rowdy.

You know, normal stuff.

Yuzu was by far the easiest to get along with. She asked him about his obsession with blue food the few times it came up, and he’d explained about how his first step-father wasn’t a great person and said blue food didn’t exist. So, his mother went out of her way to make blue food whenever possible. Since that day, Yuzu did her best to make sure Percy’s portions of food were always blue.

He was very grateful for that. It really helped him feel like he was at home.

School was… Honestly also something he was enjoying. Math was still tough, but Percy was determined to do well and did his best to fight past his Dyslexia for English class. He was honestly doing quite well in his classes, something that surprised him honestly since he’d been average last time he was in school. All those classes back at Half-Blood really must have been paying off. The uniform was a bit weird, they didn’t really have them in the states, but he adapted to it quickly enough.

He’d even managed to make a few friends at school!

First was Asano Keigo. He was kinda goofy and hyperactive, but Percy knew he had a good heart. He was a bit of a pervert, but only to minor levels. He often tried to flirt with girls and failed spectacularly. Percy and his other friends had good laughs over that, and even he’d laughed too.

Then there was Kojima Mizuiro. He was very calm most of the time, very level headed, and seemed to be quite the cheerful young man. Unlike Keigo, Mizuiro was also sly with the ladies… But Percy had also noticed that Mizuiro was only interested in older women. He’d have to warn Mizuiro to not flirt with his mother, neither he nor Paul would take too kindly to that.

Then there was Sado Yatsutora. He was a friend Percy made under unusual circumstances, but he was definitely a lifelong friend. He’d met Sado when he’d been getting beaten up by a local gang, not even fighting back. Not one to let this slide, Percy stepped in and taught them a lesson. They’d been through a bit more after that, but from then on Sado had been a great and dedicated friend to Percy.

After Sado, he made a friend in Arisawa Tatsuki. She was a bit of a tomboy, very outgoing, and pretty level headed… Except when someone annoyed her, like the School Lesbian Chizuru, usually protecting her own best friend against her antics. She was also skilled in Martial Arts, and Percy learned a few moves from her that he was sure would help in the future.

And finally, there was Inoue Orihime. She was… Very friendly, optimistic. She had some of the best grades in the class, and she had a great heart. But she was also very… Eccentric. She made very strange food combinations and had a very wild imagination. Percy imagined she’d be a very good author in the future if she put her mind to it.

There was something else Percy noticed ever since he arrived in the town, however…

He could see ghosts.

Admittedly, this wasn’t very strange. He’d seen ghosts before in the underworld, and Nico had performed a ritual to summon forth spirits before. But this… Was different. He’d find random ghosts around, seemingly near their places of death, and they all had some sort of chain in the middle of their chests.

It was concerning for him, very concerning, but he did his best to help out the ghosts despite this. He left flowers at their resting places and asked if there was anything he could do to help them rest in peace. He often received a no, but he did his best to help out when he could.

It was on the way home that the flowers he’d left for the ghost of a little dead girl on the street corner had been knocked over by a couple of skaters… And he was, quite frankly, a little pissed. So, he calmly walked up to one of them and slugged them across the face, knocking them down.

“What- hey!” One of the skaters roared. “You suddenly appear and kick over our bro!? What are you thinking!? You wanna die!? Huh!?”

Percy didn’t say anything, merely glancing at them from the corner of his eye.

“Hey, say something you-!” The guy roared, only to receive a punch on his face that knocked him to the ground.

The other skaters began to panic at how quickly and easily Percy knocked down the two, cracking his knuckles.

“I want all of you to look over there,” he pointed behind him, to the flowers. “I want you to think long and hard about why those flowers were put there, and why they were knocked over.”

One of the guys gulped, before slowly answering. “I-I guess they were put there as an offering to a kid who died here recently and… And we knocked them over when we skateboarding?”

“Correct,” he said, eyes narrowing. “I don’t normally hit people, but when people do stuff like this carelessly without any care for the deceased… That pisses me off. So, here’s what’s gonna happen. You’re all gonna say sorry for the little girl who died here, and never come around to this area again. Got it!”

The Skaters all looked terrified of Percy, those sea green eyes felt like they were injecting poison into them with just a look. “W-We’re sorry!” They yelled, grabbing their fallen friends and running away.

“Jeez… People like that are the worst…” He looked back at the street light, where the little girl who’d died was stood.

“Thank you for that,” she said. “Perhaps now I’ll finally be able to have some quiet, and maybe rest in peace.”

“I hope you go to a better place,” he said sincerely. “I’ll bring you some more flowers tomorrow,” he waved and then continued his trek home.

Percy was _not_ a delinquent, but he wouldn’t let people carelessly disrespect the dead, under any circumstances. He had too much respect for Hades and Nico, along with the many friend he’d lost in both wars, to do something like that.

Due to his little detour and teaching those guys a lesson, he arrived home a bit later from school, past the time dinner was usually served. He sighed, knowing exactly how Isshin would act.

He opened the door slowly, “I’m-!” He jumped up in the middle of his sentence, putting Isshin in a leglock. “Home! Honestly, Isshin-san, isn’t it time you stopped attacking me for coming home a bit late? For Gods’ sake, I’m Seventeen!”

“Ahaha, you’ve improved nephew- Ow, ow, ow!” Isshin began to tap out, and Percy immediately let go of his leg. He wasn’t sadistic enough to hold it once Isshin started tapping, it was a rule that they stopped immediately when they tapped.

“I know dinner is at Seven, but some people defaced the resting place of a little girl, I couldn’t let that slide,” he said as he sat at the dinner table. “Hey Yuzu, hey Karin. How was school?”

“It was good!” Yuzu said with a smile, while Karin grunted. “Oh, you have another ghost following you, Percy.”

“What-!” Percy looked behind him, to see the ghost of an elderly old man. “Why on Earth are you following me? Just because I can see you doesn’t mean you can just follow me home!”

“How unlucky can you get,” Karin asked. “You can see, touch, and talk to them. Talk about some serious troubles, must be tough having such an annoying talent, Percy.”

“I’m a little envious,” Yuzu pouted. “I can only see a blur. I wanna be able to see them clearly!”

Karin shook her head. “Not me, since I don’t believe in ghosts, or spirits, or whatever you wanna call them.”

Yuzu blinked. “Huh? But you can see them too, right Karin? Only Dad can’t see them.”

Karin just looked up, and Yuzu shuddered from the icy cold look. “Whether you can see them or not. As long as you don’t believe, it’s the same as them not existing.”

Yuzu looked dejected, and Percy looked amused. “Cold, Karin. Very cold, but fair enough. I can respect your life choices, at least.”

“Maybe we can make some money off of you,” Karin smirked. “Like that Don Kanonji guy. Ever consider being an exorcist, Percy?”

“Nope, and you’re not making money off of me, Karin,” Percy responded drily, moving to the side as Isshin attempted to lock his arm in a lock, and instead he locked Isshin in a Kimura Lock. “Do you give yet, Isshin-san?”

“I give, I give!” Isshin began tapping again, and Percy let go.

“I’m not hungry right now,” he admitted to Yuzu. “Could you put it in the fridge and I’ll heat it up later? Today was kinda a long day, and I wanna relax.”

“No problem, Percy!” She gave him an award-winning smile. “Go and relax, okay?”

“Thank you,” he bowed, before waving to the group and heading upstairs. He set his bag down and lay back in bed, not bothering to remove his uniform. “I wonder why on earth all the ghosts look like that…”

That was when Percy saw a black butterfly in his room. “What the- I left the window closed… How in the heck…?”

Then he saw her. A young girl, a full head and shoulders shorter than him with black hair and blue eyes, dressed in black robes, with a sword resting at her hip. Percy immediately tensed, but the girl didn’t even look at him.

“… It is near,” she said softly, gripping the handle of her sword.

Percy tapped her shoulder, and she looked at him in surprise. “I’m sorry, but what is near? And why exactly did you just walk _through_ my wall?”

“Y… You can see me?” She sounded genuinely shocked, as if he’d just done something impossible.

“Huh? Of course, I can see you, I’d have to be blind to have missed you,” Percy said, frowning… Before his eyes widened. “Wait…” He began to connect the dots in his mind. “Are you some kind of spirit?”

“Indeed,” she nodded, regaining his composure. “Normal people cannot see me. I am a Shinigami.”

Percy felt his body tense. _Shinigami_. He knew that term, and he stepped back… “You’re… A God?” He frowned… No, she wasn’t. He’d felt the presence of Gods before, she was not one. “You aren’t a God… Is Shinigami some kind of title?”

The girl in question blinked with surprise. “A God? Well… I suppose that is the official title, but I am not a God…” She frowned, how did the boy deduce so quickly it was a title? Many would just assume she was a God right away, but not him… How strange. “No, I am not a God. I am a Shinigami… A more accurate translation would be a Soul Reaper. I come from a place known as Soul Society, you might call it ‘Heaven.’ I came here to exterminate an evil spirit.”

Percy cupped his chin… Heaven? Well… He knew other Pantheons existed, he’d hosted the Egyptian Goddess of Vultures once, after all. “Can you tell me more?”

Her eyes narrowed, before she slowly drew her sword. “Woah, wait,” he held up his hands. “I’m sorry if I offended you! No need to draw the sword-!”

Then she swung… But not at him, but at his side. The butt of her weapon tapped the forehead of the old man ghost from earlier.

“What-!” Percy exclaimed.

“N- No…” The old man said. “I… I don’t want to go to hell yet…!”

“Do not worry,” the girl said with a benevolent smile. “The place you are headed to is not hell. It is Soul Society. Unlike hell, it is a peaceful place…”

Percy watched as the girl withdrew the butt of her weapon, a kanji now on the man’s forehead, and he disappeared into an azure light, being replaced with a black butterfly.

“What did…?” Percy breathed out, unable to believe what he’d just seen. Had… Had he just seen a spirit going to the next world? He’d never really _seen_ it happen before, it was… Beautiful, in a way.

The girl sheathed her sword. “I sent him to Soul Society. It is a Soul Burial, one of the duties of the Shinigami. You’d call it ‘going to Heaven.’”

“… Can you tell me more?” Percy asked, now very curious. If Greek Mythology had been this interesting, he’d have been way more prepared for the Greek World!

The girl looked at him… Before she nodded, sitting on his bed while he pulled up his chair and sat opposite her. She pulled out a pen and notepad… And showed him bunny drawings, the worst he’d seen in his life quite frankly. But he wouldn’t dare say that out loud.

“There are two types of spirits in this world,” she explained. “One is called a plus, the most common type of spirit. The ‘Ghosts’ you usually see around are these,” she gestured to the side of the notepad with hearts around the bunny, then gestured to the other side that looked more like a bear. “The other type is called Hollows, and these creatures attack both living beings and spirits alike to devour their souls. They are what you’d call ‘Evil Spirits.’ Before I continue, would you like to ask any questions?”

He didn’t have any, besides the urge to ask why on earth she was so bad at drawing, but he wasn’t going to antagonise someone with the title of ‘Death God.’ “None, please continue.”

She nodded and did just that. “Shinigami have two duties. The first is to guide Pluses to Soul Society using Soul Burial as you saw, and the second is to extinguish Hollows. My current mission is to extinguish a hollow.”

Percy nodded along, that all made sense. But wait… “Your current mission is to take down a Hollow around here?”

“You are correct.”

“Then why are you still here?” He asked incredulously. “Go and take care of it!”

“Well… You see…” She honestly looked a tad embarrassed. “I cannot feel its presence any longer, and I don’t know why…”

“What the heck do you…” Percy began.

**_ROOOOOOAAAAAARRR!_ **

Percy felt a shudder travel down his spine. _‘What- What the heck was that just now…!?’_

“I wonder if there’s a great power hindering my senses…” The Shinigami murmured.

“Hey, Shinigami!” He yelled, making her look towards him. “Didn’t you just hear that sound just now!? Like a huge roar!?”

“A huge roar?” She looked confused. “When did you-?” Then she stiffened up, hearing the roar for herself.

She looked towards the window. _‘I heard it! That was undoubtably the voice of a hollow! But… It still sounds like an invisible filter is out there… Exactly what is this feeling? No, more than that…’_ She looked back towards Percy. _‘This guy, a human, heard the voice before I, a Shinigami, did…?”_

“Kya!”

Percy’s eyes widened. “That was Yuzu’s voice…!” He didn’t even look at the Shinigami as he opened the door, and she followed behind him.

She paused as the door opened, eyes squinting lightly. _‘Such spiritual pressure…! How could I have missed it until now!?”_

“Percy…” A voice called out weekly, and both looked down the hall to see Karin with blood pouring down the right side of her face.

“Karin!” Percy exclaimed in shock at her being in such a state.

“Good… It didn’t come here…” She said weakly. “It… It happened so suddenly… Blood started pouring out of dad’s back and he fell… Yuzu and I were attacked by something huge while we were still in huge shock… And I thought I had to… Warn you…”

Percy stared at her with horror, quickly running over. “Stop speaking Karin! Let me work first aid on you!”

“I wonder what it was…” She said lightly. “I could see it a little… But it looked like Dad and Yuzu couldn’t see it at all… Percy…” She breathed out. “Before it sees you… Hurry… Get away…” She passed out in his arms.

Percy Jackson saw red.

It wasn’t often that Percy felt rage… But the pipes in the house began to shudder as the rage of the Sea Spawn began to grow higher and higher.

The Shinigami said something, but he wasn’t listening. In a flash, for the first time in weeks, Riptide was held in his hand, the Celestial Bronze glistening darkly in the light as he headed downstairs.

_‘Isshin-san and Yuzu still need help…!’_ He thought as he raced downstairs, stopping at the bottom… And saw the ruined state of the downstairs. Isshin against the wall with blood pouring down it, broken tables, broken everything…

And then he got a look at the hollow.

A disgusting black body with crimson spots, and a mask of pure white… With what looked to be a grin painted on.

Then he saw what was held in its hand…

“Yuzu!”

“… Percy…” Yuzu said weekly, blood pouring down her cheek.

Percy growled, charging towards the Hollow. “Put her down you bastard!” He roared.

It threw a punch, but Percy’s years of honed instincts didn’t fail him. He dodge to the side and jumped up, slicing the arm off of the hollow without a moment of hesitation. It roared in pain, its hand slackening, and he grabbed Yuzu and quickly set her to the side, before he turned back to face the hollow.

The hollow threw an attack with its good arm, but Percy jumped back. And the Shinigami managed to help deflect the blow, stopping in front of him. “Do not lose focus, boy!” She snapped at him. “None of your family members have had their souls eaten yet!”

“None…?” Percy blinked in surprise. “But Isshin-san is…!! And if his soul isn’t eaten, then why did it attack my family if not to eat their souls!?”

She was quiet for a moment. “… Hollows wander, searching for souls with high Spiritual Energy- or Reishi. For that, arbitrary humans are sometimes attacked.”

Percy felt a chill run through his spine. “… What do you mean by that?”

The woman took a breath. “I have never seen or heard of a human with such a high level of Reishi… Nor one that can sense a hollow before a Shinigami…” She looked back at him. “The target of this Hollow… Is most likely you!”

A chill ran through him again. _‘My fault… My fault…’_ Again, it was his fault. People close to him had been targeted again, because of him. Because it was _his_ fault. “My fault…” He breathed, making the Shinigami look at him. “Again, it’s my fault… The reason Isshin-san is almost dead… The reason Yuzu and Karin are covered with blood…” Tears began to flow down Percy’s cheeks. “It’s always my fault, huh…?”

“Wait,” she turned to look at him. “I did not mean-!”

His eyes widened as the beast punched her into the wall, making Percy’s eyes widen. “Shinigami-san!” He called… before he looked up… And he grit his teeth, standing up and holding Riptide tightly in his hand. “That’s… Enough…!”

The Shinigami breathed heavily, before looking at him and gasping… When did he get that sword? Why did she sense such immense power from it? Was it a Zanpakuto? But humans could not have Zanpakuto… Right?

“It’s my soul you want right, you son of a bitch…?” The piping creaked and groaned as his rage grew. “Just try it…” He looked up with eyes as stormy as the sea. “Then let’s fight! Nobody has anything else to do with this! Just try killing me and taking my soul, I’ll make you regret it!”

The hollow roared and moved to bite him, Percy standing ready for the perfect change to swing-!

_Splurt- psshhh!!_

“What-!” Percy yelled as he saw the Shinigami girl bitten by the hollow, blood pouring down all over her body. The hollow backed up, yelling in pain as its tooth had been torn out by her blade.

“Are you… Stupid…?” She asked. “Did you think everything would be okay if it ate your soul…? You might be strong, but a human can’t beat a hollow, even if you removed its arm!”

“… I’m sorry…” Percy said. “I just… Wanted to help…” He clenched his fist. Was she right? Could he really do nothing?

“… Do you want to save your family…?” She asked him, and he looked at her.

“Is there a way to do that? Tell me!” He was desperate, desperate for a way to help them.

“There is a way… No, to be exact… There is only _one_ way…” She held up her sword, pointing it towards him. “You… Must become a Shinigami!”

Percy’s eyes widened. “What…?” Did he hear her right? “W-what are you saying? How can I…?”

“It’s possible,” she said. “I will take my Zanpakuto and plunge it into your chest, giving you half my Shinigami powers. You will be able to fight against the hollow as a Shinigami, temporarily, and save your family…”

“Wait, is this even safe?” He asked. “How do we know this will work?”

“We don’t… And you may even die…” She admitted. “But there is no other way. There is no time to deliberate about this, you must decide!”

“… Ichigo…”

Percy’s eyes widened, and he looked towards Yuzu. Ichigo… That was the name of her dead brother, wasn’t it? Was she having a nightmare?

“Ichigo… Stay away…” She groaned out. “I… Don’t want to lose you again… I want you to meet… Percy-nii… He’s nice… And kind… He protects us, and does his best… So, don’t go…”

Percy’s eyes widened, feeling as if he’d been punched. Yuzu thought of him… As a brother?

_‘What am I hesitating for…?’_ He asked. _‘Since when did I hesitate? In the fight against Kronos, against Polybotes, Luke… I don’t hesitate… If this is the only way…!!’_

“Let’s do it,” he said resolutely, kneeling in front of her. “Give me your sword, Shinigami!”

She gave him a tired smile. “It’s not ‘Shinigami,’” she told him. “It’s Kuchiki Rukia.”

He gave a smile in return. “I’m Jackson Percy…”

The Hollow roared as Percy placed his hands on Rukia’s, ready for what was to come.

The sword pierced his chest.

**_Flash- Fwoosh- Splurt! Thump!_ **

It happened too quickly for the Hollow to follow, as its other arm flew off, landing on the ground far behind it.

Standing a short distance behind the Hollow was Percy, but not as he had once been. He was now dressed in the black robes of a Shinigami, with a beautiful katana resting on his shoulder. It was of average length, but there was no mistaking the raw power flowing off of Percy’s body.

“How…?” Rukia asked, her black robes gone and leaving her in a single white robe. “It was just supposed to be half but… He took all of it!”

She continued to stare with shock. _‘And this feeling… At that time, when I couldn’t feel its presence… How did I miss it, it’s so obvious now! That huge power messing with my senses, that was him! The room was filled with the Reishi pouring out of him!’_

Percy roared as he charged at the Hollow, sea green eyes blazing with vengeance, blade poised towards the beast’s face.

_‘I’ve never met a human who could see Shinigami… I’ve never met a human with the power to cut off a Hollows arm so effortlessly… And that Zanpakuto… I know that Zanpakuto, I know it so well! How could I ever forget that Zanpakuto!’_

Percy cut off the Hollow’s leg, looking up at it with cold eyes as it began to fall forwards. “This is what you get for messing with my family, you son of a bitch...!” He roared as he lifted up his sword, the Hollow’s mouth opening in an attempt to devour him.

_‘This human boy…’_

In a violent flash of speed and strength, he severed the Hollow in half- mask and body- and it roared out before it disintegrated into nothingness.

_‘Who is he…?’_

Percy Jackson looked up, resting the Zanpakuto on his shoulder… Before he slowly fell forwards, passing out on the ground.

“He used too much strength and passed out…” She murmured to herself. “I should help…!”

“That won’t be necessary, Ojou-chan,” a voice said, and Rukia looked back… Before her eyes widened.

“Who are you…?”


	3. II: A Shinigami’s Duty

Percy was in Camp Half-Blood, but something was strange. It was the middle of the day, the sun blazing brightly in the sky… And yet, nobody was around. Hestia wasn’t tending the hearth, no campers were talking, nobody was manning the store.

It was… Barren. Completely deserted. Percy instantly knew this would have been Camp Half-Blood if they had lost the Giant War. This would have been the result, a barren land with not even the hearth burning any longer.

“Percy!” He heard his father’s voice, making him turn around before he was wrapped in a strong embrace. “Thank Mother Rhea you’re okay!”

“D- Dad?” Percy blinked in surprise, before returning the hug. Hey, hug from his dad, he wasn’t gonna complain! “Why are you here? I was just…” He stiffened as he suddenly recalled what he’d been doing. He’d turned into a Shinigami and had fought that hollow to save the family.

Looking back on it, he felt dumb. Why _had_ he listened to her? She didn’t know his life, she didn’t know what he’d been through. Why on earth had he listened to a girl who was almost half his height? He should have just killed the hollow like he killed any other monster, so why didn’t he?

“Percy, you _died_ …” His father said with a strained voice, snapping the demigod out of his thoughts. “I felt it, Hades felt it, Nico felt it! They searched the underworld for your soul but couldn’t find it! And then, about an hour ago, we felt you come back to life! What _happened_ Percy?”

“I…” He gulped. “Ever since I came to Japan, I’ve started seeing ghosts. Real ghosts, with chains in the middle of their chests…” He noticed his father’s paling face but continued. “I headed to my room after getting home a bit late, and I saw this black butterfly and this girl in black robes- Rukia- step through my wall. She called herself a… A Shinigami.”

“No…” Poseidon whispered. “Percy, what happened!? Tell me exactly what happened, now!” His voice thundered, and he heard the seas churning.

“I…” Percy felt his mouth go dry at his father’s voice. This was very serious. “A… An evil spirit, a Hollow, attacked the Kurosaki’s- my distant cousins- and… I saw red, I cut off its arm, and then… Rukia explained that is was my fault the family attacked me… So, I was ready to fight it, kill it, and move on but she… Got between us, took an attack I’d planned to stop-!”

“So, she died, right?” He was almost horrified at how hopeful his father sounded. “She died, you killed the Hollow, and moved on. _Right?_ ”

Percy gulped. “Her… Her words got in my head, saying that I wouldn’t be able to do it. That the _only_ way was to become a Shinigami… I… I don’t know why I listened to her, maybe it was the adrenaline high, maybe it was because I was just so _angry_ and felt so guilty… But I… I took her sword and…”

“No…” Poseidon whispered, but Percy continued.

_“I plunged it into my heart and became a Shinigami.”_

Poseidon pulled away from Percy and looked at him in shock. “Percy... Why did you allow yourself to believe her so easily?”

“I…” Percy frowned. “I said, didn’t I? Adrenaline high, guilt…”

The Sea God’s eyes narrowed, and he looked around, before he noticed the Hearth wasn’t lit… And his eyes widened… And then Percy felt it.

_The presence of an enraged god._

He hadn’t felt it since the time he’d sat on his father’s throne to get his attention, but it was powerful, mighty, sending shudders through his spine.

“Someone has been hypnotising you,” Poseidon growled.

“What!?” Percy exclaimed.

“The place,” he gestured around. “Is your mind, or your soul, take your pick as they’re essentially the same thing for the purposes of this. Everything here represents you in some way. For example,” he gestured to Cabin Six… Now that Percy got a better look at it, it wasn’t as grand as he recalled. It seemed to have lost some shine, but it was still beautiful. “Represents your Wisdom and Knowledge. Once, it was rusty. But, as you’ve been working hard, your wisdom and knowledge has grown, meaning the cabin is much more radiant. Do you see what I mean?”

“I… Think so…” He nodded. “Then why did you look at the Hearth and think I’ve been hypnotised?”

“The Heart is the core of yourself, what makes you who you are…” Poseidon’s eyes narrowed. “Someone is hypnotising you, trying to make you act like someone else, someone who isn’t who you are. _I will not allow this_!”

“Dad, what are you-?”

**_FWOOOOOOSH!!_ **

Percy felt a wave of energy surge through the camp, and Percy felt like something locked back into place within himself. The Hearth, with only embers, roared into a blazing fire.

“I have shielded your mind,” he said. “You will never fall before any forms of hypnotism ever again; your will shall always be your own…” Poseidon turned to his son with a look of regret. “You shouldn’t have become a Shinigami, Percy. A Demigod turned into a Shinigami… It has never been heard of before.”

“Neither had a Demigod hosting an Egyptian God been heard of, yet here I am,” Percy retorted, making his father smile bitterly. “Dad… I know I didn’t ask for this but, hypnotism or not, I made this choice. I became a Shinigami… I don’t know what happened to that girl, but I messed up. And you know I’m the kind of person who will always try to take responsibility for my mistakes.”

“Zeus could learn a thing or two from you,” Poseidon said ruefully, before he sighed. “Just be careful, Percy. The Shinigami are a very reclusive Pantheon, they won’t take kindly to knowing a Greek now holds their powers. Please, for your own sake, do your best to keep your nature as a Demigod a secret.”

“I will,” Percy promised.

Poseidon smiled. “Then my heart is at ease…” Poseidon looked towards the sea. “Please, take care of my son for me.”

There was a ripple in the water, and Percy felt discomfort arise in him. “Dad, who are you talking-?”

“It’s time to wake up,” Poseidon said as the area began to get brighter. “Goodbye, Percy. This won’t be the last time we talk about this.”

**~~The Weight of Betrayal~~**

Percy’s eyes snapped open and he immediately leapt out of bed, dodging Isshin’s attempt at a flying dropkick, and then locking him in a Boston Crab submission hold. “Honestly, Isshin-san,” Percy sighed. “Must you try and attack me every morning?”

“Ah… You have amazing reflexes, Percy…!” Isshin groaned out. “To dodge my flying kick in the morning, I’m impressed!”

That was when Percy had a flashback to the previous night, with Isshin slumped against the wall and blood pouring down his back. He let loose the hold and looked back towards Isshin…

Nothing.

He was as hyperactive and strange as ever and was acting like the Hollow attack the previous day didn’t happen at all.

“Isshin-san…” Percy said slowly. “What happened to your injuries?”

Isshin looked back at him, confused. “Injuries? What are you talking about? When did I get hurt?”

“What…?”

It wasn’t long until Percy was stood outside, Yuzu, Karin, and Isshin stood behind him staring at the hole in their house. It had been temporarily patched up with wooden boards by Isshin.

None of them were injured and, for some reason, they all thought a truck had driven into their house, and that they’d simply slept through it!

 _‘What the hell…?’_ Percy thought to himself. _‘Everyone’s wounds are healed, they think the damage to the house was an accident…? Shinigami can even modify people’s memories…? That’s…_ ’ That didn’t sit well with him, especially after Hera had kidnapped him and taken all of his memories away.

His thoughts drifted back to Rukia, the girl that had turned him into a Shinigami. She wasn’t the hypnotist, he could tell that. He would have noticed if he was suddenly changed, he was sure about that. Someone _else_ was the hypnotist and had done it over a long period of time. If from what he’d read from books was any indication, it would have to be subliminal messages through very brief encounters…

He shook his head, he’d think about that later. He made his way into the house again, helping Isshin in repairing the patchwork with a proper wall. _‘I wonder what happened to that Rukia girl…?’_ He thought. _‘Did she go back to Soul Society? Whatever the case… I hope nobody tries to hypnotise me again.’_

It was Ten-Forty-Five when Percy finally made it to school, the repair work having taken most of the morning. He heard Tatsuki speaking, worried, and wondering of he was dead. “Sorry to crush your thoughts, Tatsuki,” he said with amusement, making her and the rest of his friends turn to him. “But I’m not dead. Nobody was even injured in the crash, and we didn’t even wake up.”

“Jackson-kun!” Orihime spoke up, a smile lighting up her face. “Good morning!”

“Good morning, Inoue-san,” he greeted in return, taking his seat behind Mizuiro.

“Morning, Percy,” Mizuiro greeted him. “I’m surprised you came, were the repairs not as bad as you’d thought?”

“It was still pretty bad, but with all of us working we got it done pretty quick,” he said. “What’s third period?”

“Social Studies.”

Percy nodded, starting to pull out his textbooks. “We get assigned any homework yet?”

“None, though they mentioned some of the material we studied may be on the next test. Wanna borrow my notes?”

“Please,” Percy nodded, setting his social studies textbook on the table and flicking through the pages.

“You’re Jackson-kun, yes?” A voice said from the seat next to his… A voice he’d heard just last night, in fact!

Percy turned his head to the right sharply, only to be greeted with the face of Kuchiki Rukia, the Shinigami girl that he’d encountered the previous night.

It took every ounce of self-control for him to not act completely and totally shocked as Mizuiro began to speak. “Oh, this is Kuchiki-san,” he explained. “She transferred in today. It’s a weird time, but her family was in a situation where her family had to move suddenly.”

“Oh, I see…” Percy said in a somewhat strained voice as he kept his smile on his face. “It’s nice to meet you, Kuchiki-san. My name is Jackson Percy,” he said, offering his hand for her to shake. “Please, just call me Percy.”

“It’s nice to meet you too, Percy,” she said, reaching out and shaking his head with a smile so fake he could see through it a mile away. “Just call me Rukia. Speaking of, I don’t have the textbooks yet, may I look at yours?”

“Sure.”

**~~The Weight of Betrayal~~**

“Alright, why did you enrol here?” Percy asked, cutting the bullshit as he led Rukia to another area of the school after class, away from everyone.

“Leading to me such a place?” She asked in an old time English way of speaking. “What dost thou intend of me?”

Percy flinched hard and looked at her with a serious expression. “I appreciate trying to blend in… But _never_ speak like that around me again, it brings up bad memories.”

Rukia raised an eye, obviously wondering why, but decided not to question it. “I thought I was doing rather well for someone who learned in one day,” she told him.

“People don’t talk all old fashioned like that anymore,” he told her. “Anyway… Why are you still here?” He asked with no bite, just curiosity. “I thought you’d have gone back to Soul Society.”

“I would if I could,” she said. “But I can’t go back to Soul Society. Only Shinigami can go there, and I cannot go there in my current state.”

“Current state…?” He frowned, before his eyes widened. “Your powers… You lost them when you gave them to me, didn’t you?”

She nodded, at least pleased he caught on quickly. “Yes, I lost my Shinigami powers last night when I gave them to you. I only meant to give half, but you somehow took them all.”

“But then, why don’t I look like a Shinigami,” he gestured to himself. “No robes or anything, no sword either. So, what gives?”

“They’re in your soul,” she told him. “Your body didn’t become a Shinigami, your Soul did. Thanks to that, I’m now stuck in this Gigai.”

“Gigai…?” Percy frowned, not familiar with that word.

She nodded. “A Gigai is an artificial body for situations similar to the one I’m in, when a Shinigami is low on Reishi and needs to recover. By hiding in a human body, we can slowly regain our powers over time.”

“That explains why the others could see you, unlike last night…” He nodded. “But why did you go through the effort of enrolling in my school then?”

“It’s quite simple,” she said. “Until my powers return, you are going to take over my Shinigami duties!”

Percy blinked slowly, very slowly. “… Excuse you and your entire race?”

“Well it’s obvious, isn’t it?” She asked. “I lack Shinigami powers now, meaning I cannot perform my duties any longer. You, on the other form, _do_ have them, so you will need to perform my duties in my place. Of course, I will assist you along the way. I wouldn’t simply leave you to figure things out.”

The Son of the Sea rubbed the sides of his head slowly. “… Alright fine, I’ll do it.”

“Eh?” She blinked, clearly having expected him to put up some kind of fight. “You will?”

“It is kinda my fault,” he scratched the back of his head, frowning. “I got caught up in the heat of the moment, and I probably could have handled things _without_ Shinigami powers, but I took yours, so I may as well take responsibility for it.”

“What do you mean you could have done it without powers?” She asked, eyes narrowing.

“I’ve seen monsters worse than hollows is all I’ll say,” he sighed. “How are we gonna do this then, huh?”

Rukia stowed away the information about monsters for later, before she turned. “Follow me,” she said to him as she began to walk off.

“We had better make it back in time for class,” he mumbled as he followed behind, scratching the back of his head with annoyance.

The walk was quiet, very quiet, and soon enough they ended up in the local park. She then pulled out a glove with a skull on it, and pushed his stomach, catching him by surprise.

His eyes widened as he felt himself _dragged_ out of his body, the flesh slumping to the ground, not moving, and Percy looked down to see himself garbed in Shinigami clothes again. “What the hell!?”

“I removed your soul from your body,” Rukia told him. “Don’t worry, you can make it back in without any problems, but you’ll need to be in your soul form to fight.”

“Is there a way for me to get out of my body less painfully?” He asked, rubbing his stomach…

“A few,” she said. “I’ve already ordered one of the items to help out, so you won’t need the glove all the time, but it will take awhile to get here. I could also teach you to leave your body voluntarily, but I’m sure you don’t plan on being a Shinigami for long, so there’s no use in teaching you that.”

“Okay, and why did we come to the park?” Percy asked her, lifting up his body and setting it on a bench.

“Does a spirit appear near this park?” She asked him.

“Huh? Yeah,” he nodded.

“What kind?”

“Five-year-old,” he told her. “Pretty small. He usually plays at this park at around noon.”

“He your friend?” She asked.

“I like to think so,” he nodded. “I’ve played with him a couple times, so he doesn’t feel lonely. Why do you ask?”

She held out a cell phone to him, making him slightly paranoid. True, he’d lived and used technology without any monsters attack for awhile now, but he was still paranoid when technology was involved.

Despite this, he took the phone and looked at the text on screen. “What’s this?”

“Orders from Soul Society,” she told him. “It means within fifteen minutes of twelve, within a twenty-meter vicinity of Yumizawa Children’s park… A Hollow will appear. It will most likely be after the child.”

Percy’s eyes widened… And then he heard it, the roar of a Hollow.

He turned around sharply and gulped at the sight of the spider-like hollow, with six legs as opposed to eight, chasing after the spirit of the young boy.

“That’s my cue,” he told Rukia, leaping over the fence and drawing his sword.

“Aim for the mask,” she told him. “And make sure the cut is deep! It is the best way to eliminate the hollow without issue!”

Percy just nodded. Classic case of ‘Cut the head, it dies.’ He could work with that. He stepped in front of the Hollow as it pinned the young boy beneath it.

It looked to him. **“Who are you…?”** It’s twisted voice came out from its mask.

“Just your friendly neighbourhood Shinigami,” he responded, before he charged the hollow without a moment of hesitation.

It let out a roar as it thrust one of its front legs towards him. With Percy’s years of training and instincts, the hollow may as well have been moving in slow motion. He dodged to the side, cutting the leg off for good measure, before he got right into the face of the Hollow.

“May the Gods have mercy on your soul,” he said, before he stabbed it right through its eye socket.

It let out an unholy shriek of pain as blood poured down its mask, before the Hollow slumped and began to dissipate into nothing.

Rukia frowned lightly… Gods? Was he referring to the Shinigami? Or was it something else? She had many questions about the enigma that was Percy Jackson, but she had no answers.

Percy knelt before the kid. “You alright?”

“Y-yeah, thank you, Mister,” the kid said, slowly standing up.

“You shouldn’t stay here any longer,” he said gently, holding up the sword and lightly pressing the butt of it on the kid’s forehead. “Go on to Heaven and be happy.”

The kid’s eyes widened… Before he slowly smiled, turning into particles of blue light and vanishing, a black butterfly in his place that flew away.

Percy turned back to her, resting his sword on his shoulders. “So, how’d I do?” He asked, feeling pretty proud of himself since it was his first time on the job.

“Eh, six out of ten.”

Percy felt his eye twitch. “Are you kidding me? That deserves at least a seven.”

“Well aren’t you full of pride,” Rukia smirked at him. “I’ll have you know a more experienced Shinigami would have taken out that hollow in a fraction of the time you did it in.”

“And I’m not experienced, got a lot to learn and all,” he said with a huff, before he made his way back over to his body. “How do I get back into my body?”

“Just lay down in it,” she explained, as if it was obvious.

It took no time at all for Percy to get back into his body, cracking his neck. “Good… Tell me more about what this job entails in more details later, okay?” He asked her. “For now, let’s go back. I want to have lunch and make it to class on time.”

“Aw, well aren’t you a good school boy!” She cooed out.

“… I hate you.”


	4. III: Destroy to Protect

Percy felt his eye twitch as Rukia set him up to hit baseballs with crappy drawings on him… He felt insulted that she believed he was so incompetent with his sword and the idea of ‘aim for the head’ that he actually needed to do this kind of training.

He obviously couldn’t tell her about his life as a Demigod, and she also seemed to have completely forgotten about Riptide in the heat of the moment, so he guessed he was stuck.

But really, couldn’t she have made the drawings on the balls a _little_ different!? For the love of Zeus, the designs were so similar it was almost impossible to tell the damn difference.

And where was his ‘mentor’ during all this? Reading a horror manga nearby… He was almost entirely certain that this was just an excuse for her to slack off. Either that, or she was convinced that this exercise actually worked.

He sighed as he managed to finish the ‘training’ and made his way over, putting a hand onto her shoulder… Only for her to scream in surprise and jump away from him, manga held tightly in her hands.

“Y- Y- You fool, announce yourself!” She yelled at Percy, who looked at her with a flat expression.

“You knew I was here, and you’re the one who decided to read a horror manga…” He said drily. “Why are you even scared, it’s still light out!”

Rukia looked embarrassed, before coughing. “You finished the training?” She asked him, completely sidestepping the subject of her being scared.

“Hitting the balls with ‘Head’ on them, right?” He asked. “Yeah, all finished with it. Honestly though, how is hitting these balls going to make me any more accurate with my swinging? I mean, at least now my horizontal slashes are going to be a bit sharper… But my point still stands.”

“A Hollow’s weakness is its head,” Rukia told him, something he’d already heard. “If you slice it open, you can beat it in a single blow! This training is so you can accurate hit the head in any situation.”

“Okay firstly, then the exercise should have been much harder,” he told her. “Maybe have several balls tossed into the air at once, and I have to identify the ‘head’ and hit it. Secondly, why in the Hades do I have to do this exercise when you’ve seen how easily I’ve been beating them thus far?”

“Don’t be naïve,” she scolded him, while filing away the name ‘Hades’ for later. “Have you yet to defeat any Hollows in one hit? Sneaking up on a hollow and defeating them is the basics of the basics! Honestly, it’s a miracle that you have remained unscathed so far, from the way I’ve seen you fighting.”

Percy felt his eye twitch. He was a bit rusty, sue him! None of the hollows he’d faced had forced him to go all out yet! “Stealth has never been my strong suit,” he said, thinking of all the times he’d been caught sneaking and had to run. Honestly, even when he was invisible he was terrible at stealth. “Alright, fine. Though I still think we should be working on stealth over this.”

“We’ll do that training at a later time,” she promised, acknowledging stealth was also needed for those situations. “But this training is important. Anyway-!”

“Hello, Jackson-kun!” A cheerful voice said, making Percy feel like his heart just leapt out of his chest.

“Dear Zeus…!” Percy said, holding his chest and looking back at the person in question… “Inoue-san…?” He questioned, slowly slowing his heart rate. “What are you doing here?”

“Just doing a little shopping!” She said, holding up a leak from her bag. “I bought onions, and butter, and bananas, and gelatine!”

Percy gulped in minor fear at the thought of eating anything with those mixed together. _‘Mercy on your soul, Tatsuki… I know you’re going to end up eating that horrendous food combination…’_

“What are you doing here, Jackson-kun?” She asked him, tilting her head.

“Practising out my baseball skills,” he said, holding up the bat. “Not planning on joining the club, but never hurts to be prepared for Gym Class.”

“I see,” she nodded, then she noticed Rukia standing behind him. “Kuchiki-san!?”

“Hm? Who the hell are you?” Rukia asked rudely, and Percy had to resist the urge to face palm.

 _She’s. In. Our. Class._ He mouthed at Rukia, trying not to be too obvious about it.

Thankfully, it seemed Rukia caught on. “Oh, Inoue-san!” She said cheerfully, as if she hadn’t been rude moments before. “Honoured to make your acquaintance!” She lifted up her dress lightly in a curtsy as she did so.

Percy resisted the urge to palm his face at the sight of it.

“Eh… Yes,” Orihime agreed, lifting her skirt slightly as she curtsied back. “Honoured to make yours…?”

Percy _did_ palm his face this time.

That was when Inoue grew somewhat silent, and Percy couldn’t help but notice the bandages on her arm. “Inoue-san, what’s wrong with your arm?” He asked with concern. “Did you fall down or something?”

“Huh?” She looked at him and smiled as she gestured to her arm. “Oh, this? No, I was hit!”

Percy blinked slowly. “By…?”

“A car.”

“What!?” Percy exclaimed. “Why are you so calm about being hit by a car!?”

She just giggled. “Well it’s not like they did it on purpose. I was just out shopping to get something to drink and then _bam_! I’ve been getting hit by a lot of stuff lately.”

Percy did not see what was funny about it. “You shouldn’t be laughing,” he told her. That’s a serious accident! You should be at least a bit angrier about it!”

“Again, it’s not like they did it on purpose so…”

“Do you get hurt a lot, Inoue-san?” Rukia asked.

“More than often!” She chirped. “Almost every day! I zone out a lot, so…” She trailed off.

“You really should stop acting like it’s unavoidable…” Percy sighed lightly.

Suddenly, Rukia spoke up. “That mark on your leg, can I see it?” She asked.

“Oh this?” Orihime looked down at her leg. “Sure!”

Rukia crouched down, observing the mark on Orihime’s leg carefully, a bit too carefully for Percy’s comfort. He had a bad feeling all of a sudden.

“I got it last night too,” Orihime explained. “I think it must have been when I was hit by the car… Kuchiki-san? What’s with the scary face?”

“Huh?” Rukia snapped her gaze up to meet Orihime’s. “Oh, no. I was just thinking… That it looked quite painful, are you sure you’re alright?”

“Wow!” Orihime gasped, as if in sudden realisation. “You’re right! My leg hurts way more than my arm!”

“Are… Orihime, it is not normal for you to not realise that,” Percy said incredulously. “You should come with me to my Uncle Isshin’s clinic, he can look you over.”

“Oh, there’s no need for that,” she said, waving her hand dismissively, before she noticed the time on her watch. “Oh, it’s this late!”

“You’re in a rush?” He asked.

“Yeah,” she nodded, turning around and running up to the road. “Laugh hour is almost on!”

Percy did not know what that was, so he just nodded and called up to her. “Do you need me to walk you home?”

“Huh?” She looked down, then called back. “N-no thank you, I’m fine!”

“Well if you’re sure, be safe walking home!” He called back up to her.

“I will!” She called back and began to make her way down the path.

Percy waited until she was out of sight, before he turned back to Rukia. “Alright, spill,” he told her.

“Pardon?”

“Don’t act dumb,” he frowned at her. “You would _not_ have been observing her leg that intently if it was caused by a car accident. Which means that injury was caused by a Hollow, wasn’t it?”

Rukia nodded at his deduction skills, they were accurate. “Tell me, Percy,” she veered off topic slightly. “Are you close to her?”

Percy raised an eye. “Kinda, but not that much,” he said. “I only moved to Japan a few weeks ago, and she is a friend, but I wouldn’t say we’re particularly close.”

“Any family?”

“One,” he admitted. “She had an older brother.”

“Had?” Rukia asked, glancing at him.

“Yeah,” Percy nodded. “I heard he died about three years ago,” the slight widening of Rukia’s eyes did not fill him with confidence. “I’ve been to her house a couple of times, and she has a shrine to him set up. I don’t know the details, but it was apparently a car accident. I asked Uncle Isshin for details, and he said she stopped by the clinic, but there was nothing he could do with the equipment. He died of his wounds before the ambulance arrived to take him to the hospital.”

Percy closed his eyes, momentarily drowning in the thoughts of all of those he had lost in the wars. Lee Fletcher, Charles Beckendorf, Silena Beauregard, Zoe Nightshade, Bianca Di Angelo… So many promising lives, snuffed out.

He shook his head clear of the thoughts and looked over to his companion. “Why are you asking about that anyway? You interested in her or something?”

“Not really,” she shrugged, turning. “Now, I think it’s about time we headed home too.”

“You’re so bossy,” he grunted, scratching the back of his head. “… Hey, where _do_ you live anyway? You must live here since you go to school and all.”

“What’s this, you’re interested in my personal life now?” She asked, teasingly.

Percy just rolled his eyes, the flirting from the Aphrodite Cabin and Aphrodite herself was _much_ worse than anything Rukia could hope to throw at him. “If you didn’t want to tell me, just say so,” he pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Then I’ll see you later,” she waved it off as she walked away.

“… This woman is going to be the death of me,” Percy rubbed the sides of his head slowly, annoying filling him.

**~~The Weight of Betrayal~~**

“Percy!” Yuzu’s voice called out as she opened the door to his room. “Have you seen my dress?”

“Yuzu…” Percy sighed as he walked up the stairs, fresh from a shower. “Please do not open my door without knocking. It’s very rude to just barge in.”

“Sorry,” she apologised as she looked at him. “You just had a shower?”

He nodded. “Yeah, had a long day today and just wanted to relax,” he told her. “And sorry, but I don’t know anything about your missing dress.”

“Dang it!” She snapped her fingers. “I’m also missing a pair of pyjamas, have you seen those?”

“I have not,” he told her. “Sorry, but I hope they turn up soon,” he pat her head, giving a smile, before he headed into his room and lay on his bed.

He closed his eyes, trying to relax before dinner, when he heard a beeping and he looked around. “What the heck is that sound?” He frowned. “Are Yuzu or Karin playing video games again? It’s so late, they know they shouldn’t do that when it gets dark…”

The beeping stopped, and he sighed with relief, closing his eyes… Only to jump out of bed in a fright as his closet slammed open, revealing Rukia in there. “Percy!”

“R- R- Rukia!?” He stuttered. “Why the heck are you in my closet!? How long have you been in there!? Aren’t those Yuzu’s Pyjamas-!?”

“Forget about that!” She snapped, sliding on the glove that knocked him out of his body last time. “We have an order!”

“Order!? You mean there’s a Hollow appearing?” He grew serious. “Where?”

“Here and now!” She snapped as he jumped at him, grabbing his face and shoving him out of his body… Right in time, as a huge red hand shot up right where he’d been standing moments prior.

“What the Hades-!”

Out of his wall, the rest of the hollow began to appear. A serpent-like body, similar to the Naga’s he’d heard about in a history class regarding Hinduism, with a crimson body and a terrifying mask, hole in the centre of its chest.

His hand immediately went to his sword and he landed firmly on his feet.

“Go for the head!” Rukia told him.

“I know!” He snapped back as he leapt at the Hollow, swinging down… Only for it to move back slightly at the last moment, causing the cut to not be deep enough, exposing part of the creature’s face.

Percy got a glimpse… And his eyes widened.

The Hollow immediately retreated back into the wall, vanishing as if it had never existed at all.

“It got away,” Rukia growled. “Quickly, we’re going after him!”

“Wait!” Percy called out, making Rukia pause as she looked at him. “… What aren’t you telling me, Rukia?” He asked, looking at her. “I know that face. That was the face of Inoue-san’s older brother, Sora! I’ve seen it in the shrine in Inoue-san’s house!”

Rukia said nothing for a moment, then looked away from him. “I told you. Sneaking up behind the hollow and killing it is the basics of the basics. It’s to protect from being damaged… But there’s another, important reason…” She looked back at him. “To kill them in one hit, so that we avoid seeing the Hollow’s Identity… Because all Hollow’s are the souls of formerly normal humans!”

“… And you never thought to tell me?” Percy growled, holding onto his sword tightly. “You never thought to tell me that what I’ve been killing are humans? You never thought it was important to mention that they weren’t originally monsters?”

“What matters is that they are monsters now!” She yelled at him. “They must be defeated!”

“All this time…” He gripped his sword tighter. “Why didn’t you tell me!?”

“We have no time for this discussion,” Rukia told him. “If we don’t hurry… Inoue-san is going to die.”

Percy’s eyes widened. He wasted no time in opening the window to start moving, only for Rukia to hop on his back for a ride. He growled but hooked his arms under her knees and began to drop from rooftop to rooftop, heading to Orihime’s house.

“Why is Inoue-san going to die by that Hollow!?” He demanded. “I thought they killed indiscriminately!”

“It’s because Hollow’s first kill the family they had while they were alive!” Rukia told him. “The Hollow’s that attack other spirits and humans are ones that have already killed their families!”

“What!?” His eyes widened. “But I thought Hollows ate souls when they were hungry, why eat their families!?”

“Because they don’t eat them to cleanse their hunger,” Rukia said. “Hollows eat souls to ease their pain and suffering. A Hollow is a ‘Fallen Soul.’ Souls that weren’t taken to Soul Society by a Shinigami. Souls that escaped. Souls that weren’t protected from Hollows. The soul degenerates, losing its heart and becoming a Hollow in the process. And once they become a Hollow, to fill their empty heart, they seek out the loved ones of their past life.”

Percy felt sickened as he heard this… Attacking those you loved? The idea was disgusting to him, who had the Fatal Flaw of Loyalty. He would sooner die than attack someone he loved without just reason.

“You often hear stories about a husband dying, and then the wife dying a few years later,” Rukia said. “That’s because the Husband became a Hollow and ate the wife’s soul.”

“… That’s…” Sad? Disgusting? Horrifying? All were accurate.

“… That mark on Inoue-san’s leg, that wasn’t from a car accident. It was a Hollow bite mark,” she explained. “That’s why I asked you if she had any family, to which you told me she had an older brother. If you are right, and that Hollow is her older brother… Then she is going to be attacked!”

Percy’s eyes widened, and he grit his teeth, speeding up. As soon as they got to the house, he immediately dropped off Rukia and jumped in through the window.

He ended up in on the scene of the Hollow about to strike Orihime. He didn’t even hesitate as he jumped between them, holding his blade horizontally and blocking the attack.

 **“… You would interfere?”** The Hollow… No, Sora Inoue, growled at him.

“You’re damned right I am…” Percy growled back, looking at Sora. “If you want to kill Inoue-san… You’ll need to kill me first!”

Sora slowly drew his hand back, and Percy saw a visible wound on it. _‘Not attacking… Did the wound scare him off a bit? Doubtful…’_ He glanced to the side. _‘Tatsuki… A victim just because Inoue-san was attacked…’_ That was when he saw a body nearby Tatsuki… With familiar orange hair.

 _‘Inoue-san!?’_ His eyes widened. _‘How!? Isn’t she…!?’_ He looked behind him, only to see Inoue there… With a chain in the middle of her chest, connecting to the body on the ground.

“Oh!” Orihime smiled. “I thought so! It is you, Jackson-kun!”

Percy felt his heart freeze.

Normal humans could not see Shinigami. Rukia had told him, only humans with high levels of Spiritual Energy, or Reishi, could see Spirits and Shinigami. Orihime had never demonstrated the ability to see ghosts until just now.

And that chain in the middle of her chest…

“You…” Percy looked back to Sora with murder in his eyes. _“You killed her, you son of a bitch!”_

“ **Yes, I did!”** Sora roared, swinging his tail at Percy.

The Demigod was immediately on guard, blocking the swing… And then he noticed the scales. _‘Shit, these are hard! I can’t cut through them!’_

That was when the Hollow through an attack at his forehead, which Percy dodged to the side, jumping up and slashing down at Sora’s head again, forcing the Hollow to dodge and fly out through the window, falling to the ground and glaring up at Percy as he stepped out of the window.

“What’s this?” Percy asked, glaring down at the Hollow. “If you want to kill Inoue-san, you’ll need to be faster than that you bastard. Against someone like me, you may as well be moving in slow motion.”

 **“Someone like you…!?”** Sora roared. **“You stole Orihime from me!”** He screamed, before unleashing some kind of liquid from his mouth, straight towards Percy’s sword hand.

Easily seeing it as an attempt to disarm him, Percy jumped up to the roof of the house as the liquid hit the window, causing the glass and wood to hiss.

 **“Why do you interfere!?”** Sora roared. **“Orihime is mine! I gave everything to her! She prayed for me every day! It is only right that she die for me to make me happy!”**

“I don’t know if your mind is twisted by becoming a Hollow, or if you were like this in life…” Percy’s voice was quiet, but it was heard… And it sent shudders down the spines of the Hollow, Inoue, and Rukia. “But someone like you spits in the face of everything I stood for…”

He pointed his sword down at Sora. “My name Percy is short for something else. Perseus. It means _Destroyer_. And, to protect Inoue-san and Tatsuki, I am about to _destroy_ you.”

 **“Jackson Percy!”** Sora roared as he leapt up to attack Percy, swinging his tail horizontally, only for Percy to jump over it and jump to Sora, planting his feet on the Hollow’s shoulders and getting a fistful of the beast’s hair.

“Go die!” Percy spat in disgust, thrusting his sword down at Sora’s mask.

Sora’s hand managed to come up in time to block the swing, the other one grabbing Percy and tossing him away, the Demigod grinding to a halt in mid air as dust kicked up from the grind… Wait, how did that even work? Maybe the dust from his sandals?

 **“Orihime is mine!”** Sora roared loudly, and Percy saw Orihime standing at the window. **“She belongs to me, and me alone! I won’t give her to anybody! Not Arisawa Tatsuki! And not to you, Jackson Percy!”** He roared, charging at Percy with his mouth open, intending to eat him whole.

“Brother!” Percy heard Orihime call out.

Percy’s eyes just narrowed as he jumped over Sora, landing on his back and tugging his hair back. “It seems words are wasted on you,” Percy raised his sword. “I won’t miss this time!” He stabbed downwards, piercing the back of Sora’s skull and the front of his mask.

Instantly, the Hollow fell towards the ground, and Percy pulled the blade out before jumping away as Sora hit the floor.

He slowly rolled over, looking up at Orihime. **“I just wanted… Her heart to be mine…”** Sora whispered, slowly vanishing from the tail up.

“Brother…” Orihime whispered, before her eyes locked with the ones behind the mask… And she smiled. “Thank you for the hairpins… Goodbye…”

Sora’s eyes widened… And, as his upper body faded, the mask cracked and fell off to show Sora’s real face… Smiling. “Goodbye… Orihime…”

With those words, Sora Inoue disappeared, his soul at rest and passing onto the Soul Society.

“… He’s gone,” Percy said, flicking the blood off of his blade, before jumping down into Orihime’s room. Rukia was already in there. “What do we do, Rukia? Inoue-san’s soul is out of her body-!”

“Her chain of fate is still connected,” Rukia said, gesturing. “I can place her soul back into her body so long as it is.”

“Oh good, I’m not dead…” Orihime sighed in relief, before looking to Percy. “But never mind that, Jackson-kun! I have so many questions I want to ask you-!”

She was cut off as a small puff of pink smoke exploded in front of her face, and she passed out without so much as another word.

“… Rukia, what did you just do?” Percy asked slowly. He knew she didn’t kill Orihime, not after all they’d done to save her.

“This is a Memory Remover,” she held up the lighter with a pair of animal heads on springs popping out of it. “It will erase her memories of what happened and give her new ones, that is within the realm of possibility.”

“… A Memory Remover…?” Percy didn’t like that, it reminded him of the time Hera kidnapped him.

“Yes,” she nodded. “Though the memories are random, so it can be a problem…” She crouched by Tatsuki. “She didn’t see much, but better not risk it,” she said, using the device on Tatsuki as well, before she began to heal their wounds and put Orihime back into her body.

“Is that the thing you used on my family?” He asked.

“Yes,” she nodded.

“What will happen to Sora?” Percy asked after a moment of silence. “Do Hollows I kill go to hell?”

“No, you would know if he was going to hell,” Rukia responded. “Shinigami do not _kill_ Hollows. When we cut them with our Zanpakuto, the swords we wield, we cleanse them of their sins and send them to the Soul Society. Except for the most vile and despicable Hollows.”

Percy took a seat as he waited for Rukia to work her stuff. “… Would have appreciated being told all this earlier.”

“Well now you know,” she said simply, as if that solved everything.

It didn’t, but Percy was far too mentally exhausted to care.

He was forced to hide his amusement when Orihime and Tatsuki told the story of how a Sumo Wrestler came into Orihime’s room and shot a bazooka at the wall.

“… Please tell me that’s the norm for all the random memories,” he asked her. “That’s just too funny.”

“That’s a bit eccentric, even for the random ones,” she murmured, though she was clearly also quite amused.


End file.
